''We expressed the very strong feelings of 16 million Floridians who don't want oil lapping up on our beaches,'' Nelson said.

Cheney said the Bush administration was willing to listen to Floridians but also would consider positions of other states affected by offshore drilling, Scarborough said. Gulf Coast states with major petroleum industry presence have advocated drilling off Florida.

Cheney chaired the National Energy Policy Group, which has made recommendations that are to be released today by President Bush. The new policy is expected to call for increased domestic production of oil and gas but not recommend specific sites.

President Bush's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has been leading an effort against leasing 5.9 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle. The president's administration has rejected the governor's request to stop the sale immediately although a final decision to lease has yet to be made.

Most of the proposed lease area is 100 miles from shore, but it also has a narrow arm jutting north to 15 miles of the Alabama coast adjacent to the Panhandle.

Although they received no commitment, Nelson and Scarborough came away from the meeting believing the administration is willing to remove the arm because it would bring drilling near the Gulf Islands National Seashore at the western tip of the Panhandle.

Nelson said allow the lease without the extension would be unacceptable because Florida's beaches would still be threatened.

Scarborough, however, said he could support the change if a permanent no-drill buffer, possibly 100 to 200 miles, also is created off Florida's entire coast.

''We have a conflict with Alabama,'' Scarborough said. ''We're basically going over the state line and telling them what to do off their coastline.''

Florida also is fighting a proposal by Chevron USA to drill up to 21 gas production gas wells on existing leases about 25 miles south of Pensacola.

The four Florida lawmakers last month introduced legislation that would ban drilling off Florida and buy back existing leases including Chevron's.